When Sony released its official Wireless Stereo Headset for the PlayStation 3 in 2011, it was a disappointment. At $99, it presented gamers with the simplest way to pair a set of cans to the console, but the problem was… Continue Reading →

When Sony released its official Wireless Stereo Headset for the PlayStation 3 in 2011, it was a disappointment. At $99, it presented gamers with the simplest way to pair a set of cans to the console, but the problem was that it didn’t do much else. The device itself was one note and the speakers themselves didn’t sound great. It pushed out the sonic equivalent of mud.

But what a difference a year makes. In September, Sony introduced another set of cans, the PS3 Pulse Wireless Stereo Headset, and the Japanese company nails it. This the device that your ears have been waiting for.

Yes, those ear cups are big but they hold a lot of tech inside.

EASY TO SET UP: First off, it pairs just as easily as its predecessor. The Pulse comes with a USB adapter that looks like a thumb drive. You stick it in the PS3 and headset should connect instantly. That’s all you have to do. There are no wires you have to deal with. You don’t have to figure out an optical out or a power source. It just works.

That’s fine and good, but it’s after you put on the headphones that things become clearer. The Pulse fits comfortable on the head. It’s hefty but not overbearing. The cups envelop the ears snugly and it’s only after four or five hours of constant wear that you’ll need to take them off either because they do start to hurt after a while or the battery will run dry. Battery life isn’t a strength of the headset.

What it does well though is produce crystal-clear sound. Gunshots sound like they whiz by your head. The clickety-clack of shoes on pavement reverberates in the earpads. There were plenty of times I looked around the room because I couldn’t tell if a groan or creak was coming from a dark corner or through the headset. Suffice to say, the audio is superb and rivals that of my favorite set of cans the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5 thanks partly to the 7.1 virtual surround sound that Sony added to the device.

You can adjust the strength of the BassImpact thankfully.

UNEXPECTED EXTRA FEATURES: For those who want more oomph to their audio, the Pulse has what’s called BassImpact technology. It’s gimmicky but it amps up the bass on the headset so that it literally rumbles while you play almost like force feedback for your skull. It’s jarring with some genres, and most of the time, I preferred not to play with it off, but it did add to the experience if you’re playing the right game. Body blows and car crashes work well.

The Pulse’s more practical feature is the six different modes — fighting, racing, shooter, game, movie and music — that players could choose from at a push of a button on the right earcup. The presets alter the treble and bass to accentuate the audio for different genres. The shooter will help you hear footsteps during a gunfight while the fighting emphasizes the bass so that each punch can be felt. For the most part, the presets work well, especially because the ear cups do a good job of muffling outside noise.

These are the only gaming headsets I would wear out in public.

GREAT-LOOKING DESIGN: Those elements put it on par with some of the best gaming headsets out there. But what puts the Pulse over the top is its design and versatility. This is something that you can wear outside in public whether on the subway or while walking the dog and you won’t feel embarrassed to have it on. The reason is that there’s a noise canceling microphone that’s discreetly built into the left earpad. For all intents and purposes, they look sturdy but still sleek. They silver trim makes it look mildly expensive. The fact that there isn’t a microphone sticking out to make you feel like a call center employee makes it so much more appealing than its peers.

Best of all, you don’t have to use this with the PS3. They’re fine as your casual headphones that you use with a smartphone or PlayStation Vita. The Pulse comes with the wires to connect it any device with a 3.5mm jack. Even if the battery is drained, they work just like any ordinary headphones, and with the built-in microphone, you can even take calls.

This is the design aesthetic that so many gaming headsets miss. They can pack it with all the features in the world, but if it’s not easy to use or fashionable enough to wear outside of gaming, it diminishes the value, confining it to home use.

At $149, the Pulse is $50 more expensive than last year’s model, but you get more for the price tag. It’s a sound buy for anyone with a PS3 looking for a headset that can be used for gaming and beyond.

A set of good headphones can set you back. The top-of-the-line cans from Turtle Beach retail at $299. The new Astro A50s cost just as much. They’re great pieces of gear but that price — about as much as a… Continue Reading →

A set of good headphones can set you back. The top-of-the-line cans from Turtle Beach retail at $299. The new Astro A50s cost just as much. They’re great pieces of gear but that price — about as much as a console — will give buyers pause. There has to be a happy medium that offers some of the features of these elite devices while still being affordable.

That’s where Performance Designed Products steps in. This fall, the company has come out with the Afterglow Wireless Headset, which features elements that makes those upper echelon devices great, but it comes at an affordable price tag: $89.95. I had a chance to check a pair out over the past few weeks.

The double suspension design isn’t really attractive.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: At first glance, these things are huge and they feel like it. The Afterglow has big ear cups that envelop devour your ears. Nevertheless, the ear pads are comfortable, but where the design veers toward the unusual is the dual suspension headband design. There’s one part of the headset fits over your head proper and the clear plastic part arches a few inches higher. It’s part of the device’s aesthetic and is also supposed to decrease the weight and pressure of the Afterglow on the head.

The design wrinkle does a decent job. The headset still feels heavy. After long hours of playing, it feels like your head is in a vice. I needed breaks after wearing the set of cans for longer than three hours.

It’s called Afterglow for a reason. The thing lights up in the dark.

IMPORTANT FEATURES: But those ear cups have to be big and bulky because they house a lot of the Afterglow’s tech. First off, the headset has outstanding battery life. It can go through a marathon session of gaming — a little less than 10 hours — with no problem.

Even more impressive is that the headset lights up. Yes, these are the type of headphones you’d wear to a rave. They come in blue. The illumination make it stand out but I wouldn’t wear the lit-up Afterglows in public unless you were walking around at night and wanted to be seen by motorists.

The wireless functionality works flawlessly as far as 60 feet. They come paired out of the box, and it works with any device as long as there’s a USB plug nearby and an output for the source material. It can be complicated to set up, but if you can set up a surround sound system, you should have no problem with this.

The Afterglows feature three audio modes: Pure Audio, Bass Boost and Immersive Audio (a fair facsimile of surround sound). There’s also the ability to manipulate the balance between voice and in-game sound. That’s a selling point similar to what the Astros have. And yes, you need an extra cord (included) if you want to use the device with the Xbox 360 voice chat.

The ear cups will keep the in-game sound in and keep the outside sound out.

SO HOW DO THEY SOUND: At $89.95, the sound is good but not great. Although the 50mm Neodymium drivers were professionally tuned by a Hollywood sound studio, the audio lacks the same clarity that the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5 has. The sound roars out of the headset. Like the device itself, the stereo sound is big. I wouldn’t call it rich though. It doesn’t have the warm quality of the Astro A50. There’s a bit of flatness that brings out certain element of soundtracks and sounds and muffles others.

But one thing that the Afterglow has going for it is the padding around the ears. It’s some of the best on any headset. Combined with the rambunctious audio, the headset can isolate you from the outside world and keep you in the game. A clumsy sumo wrestler could try sneaking up behind you and you wouldn’t hear a thing.

FINAL WORD: PDP did an amazing job cramming a ton of features into a headset at a phenomenal price. Pound for pound, this is one of the best headphones out there. The fact that you can use it on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and on mobile phones or systems makes this device even more attractive.

But there are caveats. The wireless receiver is slightly bulky and it may have a hard time sticking to places jammed with other USB plugs. And as I said before, the stereo sound isn’t the best but it’s serviceable. Lastly, the design aesthetic is hit or miss depending on where you’re going (rave: yes; dinner party: no).

Right on the heels of Nintendo’s E3 news conference, Turtle Beach announced that it will be making officially licensed headphones for the upcoming console. In a news release, the company said the headsets will feature built-in chat functionality and it… Continue Reading →

Right on the heels of Nintendo’s E3 news conference, Turtle Beach announced that it will be making officially licensed headphones for the upcoming console. In a news release, the company said the headsets will feature built-in chat functionality and it connects to the Wii U GamePad. The planned headsets are also supposed to work with the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS.

Given Turtle Beach’s history, I assume that the headsets will be wireless and jam-packed with features similar to its Turtle Beach Ear Force XP500. That device features dual Bluetooth so that players can game in surround sound, answer phone calls and listen to music from their smartphone all from one set of cans. I reviewed a set of Ear Force PX5’s they sent over and they worked well. I can also see the headset being wired as well.

Also announced are the following:Ear Force M7: Featuring a braided cord that doesn’t tangle, these wired headsets sound like they’re a redesign of their mobile headsets released a few months ago. They boast changeable speaker plates and memory foam in the ear pads. It definitely sounds like an improvement in that family of headphones. (Pun intended.)

Ear Force ZLa: These are Turtle Beach’s gaming headsets for PC and Mac. They’re suppose to connect to your gaming rig or it can be used on a tablet.

Ear Force PLa and XLa: These appear to be midtier gaming headphones for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. They feature built-in mics as well as amplified audio. They are USB powered.

When Turtle Beach set out to make the most advanced gaming headset on the planet, I didn’t think they’d go this far. I figured having a wireless surround sound would be enough to amaze consumers, but the company known for… Continue Reading →

When Turtle Beach set out to make the most advanced gaming headset on the planet, I didn’t think they’d go this far. I figured having a wireless surround sound would be enough to amaze consumers, but the company known for its audio-related devices went beyond.

They took consumer feedback. They incorporated new ideas. They thought outside of the box. The result of all this hard work is the Ear Force PX5, which is the best set of gaming cans I’ve ever used. With its flagship headset, the Elmsford, N.Y.-based company thought of everything and redefined what headsets can be.

The PX5 has been basically living on my head for the past week. I’ve used them for gaming (of course), music and calls. It’s what I go to when I’m playing late at night so that the house can stay perfectly quiet. It’s what I used while doing work in the office. Here’s a break down of what I thought about them.

SOUNDLike its peers, the PX5 features Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound that’s sent wirelessly via RF transmitter to the high-tech device. The sound quality is distinct. It envelopes you in a capsule of noise that’s so immersive, you forget about the outside world. PlayingMedal of Honor, I was so engrossed with the sound, trying to find enemies by the direction of gunfire, that my girlfriend gave me a heart attack sneaking up behind me and tapping me on the shoulder. I thought she was the Taliban.

I compared the sound with my previous headset — the Logitech F540. The differences were pronounced mostly because the Logitechs were stereo and the PX5s were surround. While the former produced good sound, Turtle Beach’s were a step above. They sounded richer, more layered, less flat. You could hear more of what’s in the game and where it was coming from.

In Medal of Honor, bullets whizzed in front of me. In Dragon Age II, I could get more of the sound effects and tones that make the world more alive. Occasionnally, I would get some popping, but I moved around the transmitter and other devices like a router and the problem improved after that. It became virtually nonexistent.

COMFORT AND BUILD QUALITYAs for the comfort level, the PX5s are fairly light. Maybe it’s because I’m used to the bulkiness of the Logitech F540, but the Turtle Beach cans felt good. My head never felt sore wearing them. I could go for some marathon sessions, and not worry about pain on my temples. One of the nice features the PX5 has is the ear cups that bend so that they can rest on your shoulders, giving you more room to move your head.

When it comes to the build quality, the cans are solid. They can take a beating. (I accidentally dropped mine from my desk a few times and they still work.) My one qualm is that the design isn’t that eye-catching. The PX5’s look slicker and have a slimmer profile than comparable headsets, but it’s not something I’d constantly wear out in public. Part of the reason is that the removable microphone has an arm that sticks out of the left ear cup. It’s obtrusive and they make the headset feel more than a little geeky.

DUAL-PAIRING BLUETOOTHThis is one of the features that blew me away when I first saw the PX5. Have you ever had the problem when you’re gaming and someone calls you? Say it’s your girlfriend, a family member or work interrupting you. In the past, I had to take off the headset and pick up the phone. Sometimes I even missed calls. But with the PX5, there’s Bluetooth built in so you can pair it with your iPhone or any other Bluetooth-enabled phone.

This unlocks a plethora of possibilities. I can now listen to podcasts or music from my iPhone while I’m racing in Gran Turismo 5. I can listen to the ESPN Radio App while playing a game of NBA 2K11. If I’m interrupted by a call, I can tap on a button and answer it. The music will shut off and I can go on with my conversation while playing my game. It may be difficult to carry on a chat while whipping around a turn on the Nurburgring — I guess it’s almost like driving in real life — but it doesn’t take you out of the game.

These headphones are all about immersion and never removing you from the experience. As I mentioned before, I brought them to work and used them as dedicated headphones so that I can ignore people and just listen to music. The PX5 worked like a charm, with richer music than I expected. They’re definitely an upgrade over the iPhone headphones and best of all because they’re wireless, you don’t have to worry about untangling the wires to get to your music.

As for the battery life with the dual Bluetooth, I found that the device made its two AA batteries last. Turtle Beach has done a good job finding ways to conserve power. The PX5s shut off when it doesn’t detect an audio source, so the 20 hour estimate that I received worked out fine. I put in a fresh set of batteries and they’re still going strong during 26 hours of Dragon Age II.

PROGRAMMABLE PRESETSTurtle Beach would have a hit a home run with just those features, but the company went the extra mile by adding a ridiculous degree of presets and software modifications that regulate the microphone and any sound that headset outputs.

When it comes to the microphone, you’ll be able to hear yourself on the headset so that you can be aware of how you sound to other gamers online. If you want to disguise your voice for whatever reason — maybe you want to sound like Darth Vader — you can raise the bass to a James Earl Jones. If you’re in a place with a lot of ambient noise like a LAN, the microphone can tone down the outside din so that teammates can hear you more clearly.

That’s fine and good, but the presets are the more impressive part of the software. This is where the other magic of the device happens. It’s also the part that’ll interest FPS competitors. They have presets that boost the sound of footsteps and lowers the cacophony of bullets and blasts. It’ll definitely give you an advantage when you go online. Amping up the footstep sound while lowering all the others will keep you aware of someone sneaking up behind you. It’s like having Wolverine’s heightened senses.

As for other presets, Turtle Beach said that they’ve reached out to developers to get custom presets for their games. One of the first onboard is Visceral Games with Dead Space 2. If you go to the Turtle Beach portal site and download the software, you can connect the headphones to your computer via USB and tweak it to your hearts content. There’s even going to be the opportunity for firmware upgrades, so the headsets could potentially be improving over the years.

WRAP UPAll the work Turtle Beach has put into the PX5 has paid off. It’s definitely the most impressive gaming headsets I’ve used and despite the hefty $249.95 price tag, it does pack enough features to make it worthwhile. The presets give the headsets and players an edge over competitors while the flexibility to use it as a Bluetooth headset means that you can use it for more than just gaming. It could really be the last headset you’ll ever buy.

If you couldn’t tell by my tweets, GDC gets a little crazy at times. Appointments change, people drop out, locations get mixed up. It happens often, but if you’re determined to meet with someone, you do, and that’s the case… Continue Reading →

If you couldn’t tell by my tweets, GDC gets a little crazy at times. Appointments change, people drop out, locations get mixed up. It happens often, but if you’re determined to meet with someone, you do, and that’s the case with Turtle Beach. I was intrigued by their latest device the PX5 Wireless Headset.

Michael Arzt, a Turtle Beach vice president, along with others showed off what the device can do and sent one home with me. Here’s the unboxing and some tidbits about the impressive headset.

Back of box

It features the important stuff like wireless Dolby 7.1 surround sound, dual Bluetooth support and a microphone. But what’s impressive is the software that directs the headset and tells it what to do. It’s ridiculously programmable with presets that boost the treble and bass along with sound mods that reduce the sound of gunfire and raises the loudness of footsteps. This could be a boon for FPS fans. Aside from being removable, the microphone also monitors your voice and lets you know if you’re yelling or speaking softly, so that you don’t annoy players you’re gaming with. On top of that, there’s even an option to disguise your voice.

On the practical end, the PX5 works with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But the better feature is the dual Bluetooth technology lets you chat with your buddies in a match and listen to music or take calls from your smartphone. For example, you could be racing in Gran Turismo 5 listening to tunes from your iPhone and suddenly take a call from a friend. After your done with the conversation, you can resume listening to the iPhone music. Best of all, while you’re doing this interaction, you’ll be hearing the roar from the engine and whooshing of air.

I asked Arzt about the battery life on the PX5, and he said it lasts about 25 hours of normal use. But if you turn everything on, it drops it to about 20 hours. That’s not too bad considering that the system runs on two AA batteries.

Recently, Turtle Beach announced custom developer-made presets for the PX5. The first studio to jump aboard is Visceral Games which will offer a custom preset for Dead Space 2. To access it and others, you have to go to the Turtle Beach website and download software from the portal. After that, you have to plug in the headset to your PC via a USB cord (the PX5 comes with one). From there, players can mess with their own presets or download the developer-made ones. It’s another layer to a device that’s shaping up to be one of the most impressive on the market. I’ll have a review on it later this month.

What’s inside

A look behind

Opening the boxes within the box reveals cables, transmitter and the headset itself

Headset and transmitter together

Close up

Inside of the ear cups

The transmitter

The bottom of the earcups features Bluetooth controls on one side and volume controls on the other